Matchmaker
by Tribulation Periwinkle
Summary: My contribution to the "50 first hamburger dates" fics happening on Tumbler.


**Summary: **My entry for the "50 First Hamburger Dates" ficathon on Tumblr.

**Not mine; don't sue.**

Belle smiled as she opened the door to the pawn shop. Although the shop sign was turned to "closed," the door itself was unlocked—a clear indication that Rumple was waiting for her.

The sight greeting her inside, however, was a definite surprise. Henry Mills and Rumple were sitting on a rug in the middle of the floor with a chess board between them.

"Hey, Belle," Henry said. "Mr. Gold's been teaching me how to play chess."

"Henry came in to buy a chess set for his grandmother," Rumple explained. "As it turns out, he didn't know how to play the game, so I thought I would explain the basics to him."

"See, Mary Margaret was telling me how she used to play chess with her father when she was my age. And since he died, she hasn't had anyone to play the game with cause David's never played it." Henry looked up at Belle with what she could only assume was his best matchmaking face. "That's because David used to be a shepherd; he wasn't a prince at all. Mr. Gold's the one that made him a prince. Don't you think that's pretty awesome, Belle?"

Belle bit back a smile. "It is, Henry, but then Rumplestiltskin has done a great many admirable things. He ended at least two wars in our world." She sat down on the floor beside Rumple, who was positively beaming at her. She wondered if she was the only person who remembered the good things he'd done for them all and not just the deals and the curses. She handed the bag with today's hamburgers over to him. "Perhaps I should let you and Henry have these and come back some other time?"

Before Rumple could reply, Henry stood up. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know you and Mr. Gold had a date today. I'll come back some other time."

She couldn't deny the fact that she had been looking forward to spending an hour alone with Rumple. On the other hand, she couldn't help but notice how happy Rumple had looked as he played with Emma's son. _Henry must remind him of Baelfire_, she thought. _It's worth giving up a date just to see him like this._

"Don't be silly, Henry," Belle replied. "I think it would be lovely if you stayed with the two of us. Perhaps I could play on your side. I used to play chess with my father as well back home. It's been years since I played, but I think I remember enough to make the game interesting."

Henry fairly bounced on his heels. "That would be great, Belle! Is that okay, Mr. Gold?"

"That would be very nice, Henry," Rumple replied, leaning on his cane as he stood up. "We do need more food, however. Perhaps—"

"You're not going to use magic to make a hamburger, are you, Rum?" Belle asked. "Because that does seem a bit excessive."

"I was merely going to call Granny's and have Ruby bring a third hamburger over. On the other hand…" He inclined his head in Henry's direction, "young Henry here does seem a bit excited about the idea of magically appearing food. I suppose we had best do this the traditional way, Henry. Belle has never liked the idea of my using magic to feed us."

"It never tastes the same," Belle explained to Henry. "Not half as good as properly cooked food."

After calling Granny, Rumple gave his hamburger to Henry, insisting that the child eat first. _This was the kind of father he was to his Bae, _Belle thought. _They can't have been wealthy before he was cursed; there must have been days when he went hungry so his son could eat. It's still second nature to him to make sure the boy is fed first._

She watched Rumple and Henry carefully as they played chess. Rumple was patient with the boy, explaining Henry's mistakes to him and showing him the tactics that would help him win. She could tell that Henry was enthralled, hanging on Rumple's every word and beaming with all the praise Rumple gave him. Rumple, for his part, was so wrapped up in explaining the game to Henry that he didn't even notice when Ruby brought the third hamburger over.

"What the heck?" Ruby asked Belle. "Gold's playing child's games now?"

"Actually, it's chess," Belle explained to her friend. "And you can't tell anyone. It's a surprise for Emma and Mary Margaret." She was actually more concerned that Rumple would be upset if Ruby let it slip that he was being nice to someone, but there was no point in saying so out loud.

Ruby shrugged. "I don't think anyone would believe me anyway," she said as she left.

As their recent dates had gone, this was turning out to be one of the better attempts. Certainly it was not a romantic dinner for two, but there was something about seeing Rumple with Henry that helped Belle understand just how lonely he had been without his son for all those years. And it made her think very seriously about what kind of father he would be if the two of them had a child. _A daughter, I think. I've always wanted a girl, and since Rum already has a son…..But not until we find her big brother, of course. Rum needs to have his whole family, not feel as though he's replacing Baelfire._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone. From hearing Rumple's end of the conversation, it was clear that the caller was Emma, looking for her son.

The three of them picked up the chess pieces and the board and Rumple wrapped the set up for Henry. Belle was touched by the fact that Rumple insisted on giving the boy the chess set for free. "Perhaps," he explained to Henry, "you can tell your grandmother and Sherriff Swan that this is a homecoming present from the three of us."

"And come by the library, Henry," Belle added. "I'll find some books about chess for you."

"Thanks, Belle." Henry pulled her aside. "You know, I've been thinking. Since you weren't around during the curse, you kind of don't have a last name."

"Well, my father is Moe French here, so I suppose I'm Belle French."

"Yeah, but it's not like it's your real name. I mean, my mom would probably have been something like Emma Charming, wouldn't she? But she's used to Swan, so she told me we weren't going to change it. And I'm going to keep using Mills, cause I don't want to hurt my other mom's feelings."

"That's very considerate of you."

"So you could pick any last name you want to use. You should think about that. Like maybe, say, Belle Gold. That sounds nice." And before she could reply, Henry was out the door.

Belle turned back to Rumple and laughed. "I think Henry is a bit of a matchmaker."

"Why? What did he say?"

She reached up and kissed Rumple's cheek. "Ask me out for another hamburger, and maybe I'll tell you."

The End


End file.
